Auto Insurance Claims: stolen truck, auto appraiser

Question
QUESTION: our 2004 chevrolet 2500hd crew cab 4x4 duramax w/ allison transmission was stolen   when recovered all tools missing not sure what was taken inside as it was badly burnt  ins co. not cover any contents  made offer below loan value my agent got them up  a little   but  i can't find anything in range of what they are offering loaded  like the one we lost the adjuster  says  mileage is the issue  it had 201k   not much for duramax. the trucks i am finding  with most of the same options  are going for 19k to 23k  the adjuster says he found 21 or 23 within 100 miles of my home
i can only pull up 7 4 have sold  3 have nowhere near the options   how can they use plain work trucks to compare to loaded all power trailer pulling truck we had  they offered almost 16k   does this seem fair what can i do thank you for any help u can give


ANSWER: Your situation is common.  The most helpful advice I can give is to point you towards the "appraisal clause" of your policy.  In simple terms, most policies contain this clause that says if you and your insurance company disagree as to the amount of a claim, either you or the insurance company can invoke the appraisal process.  This means you hire an independent appraiser to try and come to an agreement with an independent appraiser that is hired by the insurance company.  If the two appraisers cannot agree, then you and the insurance company split the cost of a nuetral umpire who will agree with one of the appraisers.  Any two of the three that agree can set the amount of the claim.

The only other option is to fight, fight, fight.  Ask every question in the book and go over every item in their report for inconsistencies or inaccurate data.  Don't forget to ask for pro-rated registration cost and depending on your State, taxes.  

I hope this helps.  Information is always free at Petty Details, LLC.  If you need a free consultation, look us up on the web or continue through AllExperts.

JP

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: where do i locate an independent appraiser what can i expect the cost of this process to be

Answer
Well, my company charges $150.00 for a market value report on a vehicle, and there are many other companies out there, but I can't speak to their pricing.  Pricing varies per company and some charge as much as $600.00.  Doing a Google search for automobile appraiser will return a lot of results.